Improvement in paper-folding machines



` SSheetv-Shee. R. R. GUBBI NS.

Paper Folding Machines.

N0. ZLl. v Pa'rlted Dec-'5,1871.

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Papen Folding Machines.

No. 121,615, l Y Paten-red Dec.5,1s71.

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` R. R. GUBB i NS, Paper Folding Machines. Y

' Patented Dec. 5,1871.

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UNITED STATES PATENT Grrrono RICHARD R. GUBBINS, OF WEST TROY, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, THOMAS W. HOLMES, OF SAME PLAGE, AND ACHILLE J. ROUSSEAU AND LOUIS` H. DE

ZOUOHE, OF TROY, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN PAPER-'FOLDING MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 121,615, dated December 5, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD R. GU'BBINS, of West Troy, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Folding-Machine; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in machines for folding newspapers and other papers; and it consists in the hereinafter-described combinations and arrangements of folding apparatus.

Figure lis a side elevation of my improved machine, in which two sets of folding apparatus only and the Workin ggears are shown, being sufficient to illustrate the invention; but a practical machine may have any number of sets of the said folding devices. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation on the line x it of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation on the line y y of Fig. l, and Fig. 4. is a front elevation.

Similar letters of referen ce indicate corresponding parts.

A is a feeding-table, placed on the top of a suitable frame, B, and descending to the under side of a large hollow cylinder, C, mounted above the lower edge of said table on the shaft D, having bearings in the upper ends of posts E. The said cylinder is driven by any competent power, and is intended to drive the other workin g parts, which are to be geared with it by any suitable means. This cylinder is to carry the gripers F for receiving the edge of the sheets to be folded, drawing them from,I the table A, whereon they are presented to said gripers by hand, as they come around to the right place; the said gripers being of any of the Well-known kinds that are employed on the cylinders of printing-presses, and being opened to discharge the sheets to receive others in any of the well-known ways. The sheets are to be carried between the knife G, and over the rollers H, by the said cylinder O, until the line on which they are to be folded comes under the edge of the knife and over the center of the space between the rollers, when, by the opening of the gripers and the pressing of the knife down upon the paper so as to hold it, it is left by the cylinder, which moves on for the next sheet, and is seized at the fold by the rollers H, drawn from the knife between said rollers, folded, and delivered by them-the tapes I and rollers K--upon the table L. It will be observed that the cylinder C has a wide opening at the periphery to allow the knife G, which is supported with`- in it by an arm, M, projecting into it at one end from the bar N, to come down and act upon the paper while the part of the cylinder having the opening is passing the rollers H. The bar M is supported on the shaftD and the pin so as to slide up and down freely on them; and it is worked by a camgroove, P, in a disk on lthe end ofthe cylinder, and a pin, Q, on said bar entering said groove, the said groove being formed and adjusted to throw the bar M and knife down and up again while the opening of the cylinder is passing. I propose to employ a cylinder for feeding the sheets to the folding-knife and rollers not only because it admits of a steady and uniform continuous motion, and is capable of bein g worked by a simpler arrangement of machinery, and may be made available for working the knife simply by the application of a cam, but more specially because it has the quality of admitting of doubling the capacity of the machine by having the speed increased and the papers supplied at two different points by an attendant for each, taking them alternately from each. For this, another feeding-table, A', is applied to the cylinder about in the position indicated in dotted lines, and appliances are used for closing the gripers alter nately on the sheet supplied from tables A and A', or, in other words, for holding them open for being closed by springs alternately at each table, the said gripers being always opened at the one point of their course Where they are at the moment the part of the paper to be folded comes under the knife.

I do not, however, propose to limit myself to the employment of a feeder strictly in the form of a cylinder, because the same may beaccomplished by any rotating body or bodies; for instance, mere arms provided with the gripers and arranged with the table, the knife and the rollers H may be readily adapted to the work required, or arms with rims and the like may be used. The table L, on which the once-folded Sheet is received from the tirst folding apparatus. l is arranged above the tolding-rollers lt. eylinders S S, and delivering*rollers T. all being in horizontal planes at right angles tothe tirst set of rollers; and it has an opening over the rollers lt for the delivery of the paper to them by a knife,

V, arranged above said table, said knife being supported at one end by an arm projeeting from a lever, lV, the same as in the ease ot' the knife G; but in this case, instead of sliding endwise .l to work the knife it swings from a pivot. X, on the frame, but is worked by a cam-groove. y, in i the end ofthe cylinder the sante as in the other case. When the once-folded sheet is delivered onto the table L it is likely to be oblique to the line ofthe rollers It, so that it will not fold squarely; I therefore provide the oscillating adjusting i arms Z and shaft Z fo1 adjusting it previous to j the action ofthe knife, and sqnaring it with the said rollers by the said arms. which are in a line i exactly perpendicular to said rollers. swinging l against the edge of the paper and moving far g enough to cause said paper to toueh both arms l alike. The said shaft is oseillated by a erank, n, j conneetingaod ,and a crank, fl, the latter being ,f on the shaft l); or it may be done by any other equivalentarrangement ot'means. Notebes e will i be provided in the edge of the table L to allow g the said arms to swingas faras required for thus adjusting the paper. l propose to make the eylinder S, and all others eorrespomling to it in tbe completed tolding-maehine, of suell size that one i revolution only will be required for taking the i paper from the point ot' its reeeption and delivering it from the rollers 'l`. to whieh it is conveyed by the tapesf. This saves gearing up from the prime mover for higher speed. as would be reA quired if they were made smaller. and simplifies the cost ofthe gearing. laeh sneeeeding cylinder corresponding to S will be arranged as to size with particular reference to the size of the folded Sheet, when it is to be acted on by said roller and its adjuncts. The said roller is driven from the large cylinder by means ofthe shat'tsy It. and the bevel-wheelseonneetingthem alsothewbeels connecting y with said cylinder. and the next ey]- iuder corresponding to it, (not showin) will be geared from it in the same way. 'l`heeylinderS l and the rollers, being driven b v the tapes from cylinder S, have the same surface speed that eyll inder S has. As another means of adjusting the i folded paper after it is delivered from one set of l rollers square with the next set, l propose to have it fall upon a slow-movingcarriage, i, which shall bring it against a pair of pins, It', pendent from any support I, as soon or immediately after it has settled into position onto the earriage, the said pins aeting to adjust the paper square with the next knife and tolding-rollers, ot' which there will be as many sets as may be required, according to the number of folds the paper is to have, but which. beingmere repetitions ofwhat are already shown, are not shown in this example. The carriage may be moved in any approved Way; in this case it is moved by a cam, j, and arm g. I propose to have the paper come to a rest on the table or carriage and either have the stops slowly move against it, as in the case of the arms Z, or the paper carried against the stops, as on the earriage i, either of which operationsis identical in principle, and accomplishes the desired object, praetieally insuring the folding of the paper with great exaetness. The folding rollers, which are arranged side by side, are placed in bearings m inelining toward eaeh other to insure their running elose together to hold the paper snugly. The rollers K are mounted, one above another,

in vertical slots in the short posts a, one of which posts will, in practice, have an opening immediately above the journals to admit of entering them to the working position or Witlnlrawing them therefrom, saidopenings being the same as shown at p in one of the cross-hars whereon the rollers TT are mounted.

llaving thus described my invention, l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. The eombination, with the folding-knife and rollers K, of a rotating feeder, whether in cylindrical or other form, and adapted for receiving the papers from one or more tables, all substan tially as speeitied.

L. 'lhe tblding-knife G, arranged within the cylinder, and the latter provided with the opening in the shell for allowing the knife to act upon the pa ierthroiw'h said o ienine all substantiallv is ha as specitied.

I5. The arrangement of the folding-knife G ou a sliding plate at the end ofthe cylinder, and in eombination with an aetuating cam thereon, as and for the purpose specified.

RICHARD R. GUBBINS. \\'itnesses:

E. VAN OLINDA, Jnssn I". WrrBECK. (117) 

